Patali, aka: Pāṭalī; 10 Definition(s)

Introduction

Patali means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Hinduism

Āyurveda (science of life)

Pātali (पातलि) is a synonym for Pāṭalā (Stereospermum colais, “Trumpet Flower”), from the Bignoniaceae family. The term is used throughout Āyurvedic literature such as the Carakasaṃhitā. It can also be spelled as Pāṭalī (पाटली). This synonym was identified by Amarasiṃha in his Amarakośa (a Sanskrit botanical thesaurus from the 4th century).

Source: Wisdom Library: Āyurveda and botanycontext information

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.

Nāṭyaśāstra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Nāṭyaśāstra (नाट्यशास्त्र, natya-shastra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition of performing arts, (e.g., theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing dramatic plays (nāṭya) and poetic works (kāvya).

Kathā (narrative stories)

Pāṭalī (पाटली) is the name of the daughter of the King Mahendravarman, whose story is told in the tale called ‘the founding of the city of Pāṭaliputra’, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 3.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Pāṭalī, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.

Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgaracontext information

Kathās (कथा) are special kind of Sanskrit literature: they are a kind of a mix between Itihāsa (historical legends) and Mahākāvya (epic poetry). Some Kathās reflect socio-political instructions for the King while others remind the reader of the historical deeds of the Gods, sages and heroes.

General definition (in Hinduism)

Pāṭali is no doubt the name of a species of trees, called Flueggea Leucopyrus in Latin; but according to Professor B. P. Roy, the Head of the Botany Department of Patna University, this species is found in Burma, the Punjab and the Deccan peninsula from Canara southwards. I is quite abundant in Ceylon, but not known to Bihar. Other sub-species of the shrub grow in eastern Bihar, but not in or around Patna.

In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

or Manapa Sutta. A series of discussions between Patali and the Buddha, on various topics. S.iv.340ff.

-- or --

. A headsman of Uttara who visited the Buddha and questioned him regarding his power of magic. Several conversations he had with the Buddha, on various topics, are given in the Samyutta Nikaya. S.iv.340ff.

Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.